| Authorised form of name | Watson; Janet Vida (1923 - 1985); geologist |
| Dates | 1923 - 1985 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Hampstead, London, England |
| Date of birth | 01 September 1923 |
| Place of death | Ashtead, Surrey, England |
| Date of death | 29 March 1985 |
| Occupation | geologist |
| Research field | Earth sciences |
| Geology |
| Activity | Education:
South Hampstead High School; Reading University. BSc (1943, Biology and Geology); Imperial College; PhD (1949)
Career:
Worked in a research institute, on chicken growth and diet; turned to geology and studied the Lewisian gneisses, in Sutherlandshire (with John Sutton); awarded senior 1851 studentship; Research Assistant, Imperial College, London (1952); Professor, Imperial College (1974-1980); co-wrote 'Introduction to Geology' (1962, 1976) and 'Beginning geology' (1966); served on the National Water Council (1973-1976); member of BBC Science Consultative Group; first woman President of the Geological Society
Memberships:
FGS (President 1982-1984) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 15/03/1979 |
| Age at election | 55 |
| Relationships | Parents: David Watson (FRS 1922) and his wife Katherine Margarite, daughter of Rev I Parker.
Spouse: (m.1949) John Sutton, son of Gerald John Sutton. |
| PublishedWorks | RCN 16245 |
| OtherInfo | Distinguished for her contribution to crustal tectonics, petrology and evolution, Professor Watson's early work (much of it jointly with J Sutton) concerned the geological history of the Caledonides and the Lewisian gneiss complex of northern Scotland. This demonstrated the structural and metamorphic patterns produced during successive phases of tectonic and thermal activity in the Lewisian complex.
Later studies of the complex in the Outer Hebrides provided her with a basis for more general investigations of the tectonic evolution of the crust in Archaean and Proterozoic times and of basement-cover relationships in the North Atlantic continents.
Also worked on the relationships between crustal development and metallogenesis, and suggested an evolutionary sequence of ore-forming processes. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Source | Sources:
DNB
AssocMaterial:
NCUACS 48/4/94. Papers deposited in the Geological Society Library, London
Obituaries:
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1995 vol 41 pp 499-514, plate, by D J Fettes and J A Plant |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/240714935 |
| Code | NA6935 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1979/39 | Watson, Janet Vida: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1978 |
| IM/GA/SGRS/8332 | Watson, Janet Vida | 1984 |